Cleaning device for ink rolls



Nov. 17, 1942. E, CURTQS 2,302,496

CLEANING DEVICE FOR INK ROLLS Filed June 1l, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Prg. 1 f 20 Nov. 17, 1942. F. E. Cum-ls 2,302,490

CLEANING DEVICE FOR INK ROLLS 'Filed June l1, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 TW I -20- l l I l F if l L '"'W 1 Z l l 1 I 2") l l 9 INVENTOR.

BY @222, #7m/gym,

Patented Nov. 17, 1942 star rar enr or rice CLEANING DEVICE FORv INK ROLLS Application June 11, 194.1, Serial No. 397,583

(Cl.V 10i-4:25)4

12 Claims.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple device for cleaning inking rolls of printing machines to remove free ink therefrom, as when a printing operation ceases or the nature ofv theink is changedor when, for any reason. it is desired to remove surplus ink from the inkingsystem. My inventionis adapted for use on various machines, printing in relief or from a planographic plate, wherein there is an ink transfer roll supplied periodically by a ductor from a fountain roll.

My invention provides a scraper or wiper blade adapted to be caused to contact with an inking roll, which may be the roll with which the ductor directly coacts, while the device preferably maintans such ductor roll in contact with the ink receiving roll so that the scraping device at one time removes the free ink onthe receiving roll and through it the transferable ink on the ductor roll, and thus leaves the system free for fresh ink properly fed. This is one of the features of my invention.

Another feature of the invention is to provide the device in such form that While readily removable and normally detached from the printing machine it may, by a simple movement, become pivotally mounted thereon and effect the desired cleaning action by a simple manual tipping of theJ device, removing the excess ink and collecting it in a suitable receptacle carried by the device. This is also a feature of my invention.

A preferred embodiment of my invention, associated with a planographic printing machine, is illustrated in the drawings hereof and is hereinafter more fully described, the essential novel feature of the invention being set out in the claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is an elevation of my cleaning attachment, shown in active position mounted on an offset printing machine, which is shown in vertical section; Fig. 2 is an elevation in thesame plane as Fig. 1, showing the cleanin@ device in the act of being removed or mounted (the broken lines indicating it entirely detached); Fig. 3 is a Vertical section, as indicated by the line 3 3 in Fig. 1, looking toward'the machine; Fig. 4 is a perspective of the cleaning device removed; Fig. 5 is an elevation on a reduced scaie of the pivotally mounted ductor carrying frame of the printing machine illustrated.

In Figs. 1,2 and 3, lll indicates the frame of a printing machine shown as carrying a plate cylinder li on which is mounted a planographic plate. l2., an offset. cylinder I3 carrying. a, rubber 55.`-v

Y @liga-ges lanket. 94, and a platen roller I5. Ink is supplied to the plate by a form roll 20 which receives its inkV from a transfer roll 2|. 'I'he transfer roll receives ink by a shiftable ductor roll 22 from a fountain roll 23 operating in a fountain 24. The ductor roll 22 is mounted on bail or yoke 26 (Fig. 5, which is centrally pivoted at 2l to a reversely faced bail 28 pivoted to che frame at 29. v

The two ductor-roll bails constitute a frame ,which is suitably operated periodically to move the ductor roll into contact with the fountain roll 23, then into Contact With the receiving roll El, dwelling for a suitable time in contact with either roll. The fountain roll 23 which the ductor is preferably given partial rotations periodically to carry ink from the fountain to the ductorV roll.

Any suitable mechanism may be employed to effect the periodic partial rotation of the fountain roll and to oscillate the ductor roll frame. For instance, I may use the mechanism shown in my Patent No. 2,165,235, issued July 11, 1939.

The frame of the printing machine illustrated carries a suitable cross rod i8 located beneath the fountain, and I will avail myself of this rod, as a support for the cleaning device, which I will now describe.

My cleaning device proper, as illustrated in Fig. 4, comprises a rectangular trough 30, having a front wall 3i rising higher than the endsor back of the trough, a pair of end bars 32 and 33 secured to the ends of the trough and connected at their outer ends by a Cross bar 34. This cross bar carries centrally a rearwardly projecting. handle 35.

Each of the end bars 32 and 33 is provided with a notch Si@ which extends from the upper edge downwardly and then along the end bar toward the handle as at 3l and finally upwardly as at 38. This leaves a projecting tongue 39 of the end bar which extends downwardly into the general recess provided. The mouth of the recess flares towards the front and the rear, as illustrated in Fig. 4, to enable the device to be readily mounted on the cross rod I8 of the printing machine, as illustrated in Fig. 1 and as hereinafter more fully described.

Carried by the front plate of the trough is a. wiping blade iii of rubber or other yielding material, the blade being shown as clamped against the rear face of the front plate by a clamping bar 4l having a forwardly facing bead along its lower edge to engage the front plate towardwhich the bar is drawn, by screws 42.

Mounted von one ofthe end bars of theclean-` ing device is an abutment to engage and actuate the ductor roll frame to maintain the ductor roll in contact with the ink receiving roll when the wiper blade is also contacting such receiving roll. As shown, this abutment comprises a cam lever i) pivotally mounted at 5I on the end bar 32. Below the pivot, this lever carries a pin 52. A tension spring 53 is connected at one end to this pin and at the other end to a pin 54 on the end plate. The result is that the upper end of the cam levei` 50 is given a tendency to move toward the front of the device to the limit oi'V its movement. A limit in this direction is provided by a pin Gli projecting from the end bar 32.

The pin 6G, as shown, performs another function, in conjunction with similar pin 6l extending from the other frame bar 33. These two pins are adapted to form distance pieces between the removable scraping device and the machine frame plates IU and thus center the scraping device so that the wiper blade coacts with the entire length of the transfer ink roller,

With a cleaning device, as shown in liig 4, and as above described, the operation of cleaning the press of excess ink is as follows:

The operator grasps the device, which is normally entirely separate from the machine, by the handle 35 and holds it in an approximately horizontal but somewhat downwardly inclined position, as indicated in broken lines in Fig. 2. Then, with the device in that position, he projects it between the frame plates I of the printing machine and beneath the frame rod I8, and when the notch 36 is beneath this rod, by an upward movement causes the notch to pass around the rod, so that the tongue 39 iirst passes over the rod, as indicated in full lines in Fig. 2, and comes to rest in front of the rod which then occupies the portion 38 of the notch, as shown in Fig. l. Thereupon the rod supports the device and forms a pivot about which it may swing.

Now a slight downward pressure on the handle 35 moves the wiper blade 40 upwardly into engagement with the transfer ink roller 2| on its underside. At the same time the upper end of the cam lever 5D engages the cross bar of the ductor holding bail 23 and swings the ductor toward the transfer roll and holds it in contact therewith, as indicated in Fig. 1

Now as the machine rotates, the rear portion of the transfer ink roll 2l travels downwardly, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. l, so that excess ink thereon is scraped oii by the inner edge of the wiper 40, the ink traveling downward along the rear face of that blade, eventually accumulating in the trough 3ii. While this is taking place, the ductor roller 22 is held against the transfer roller under spring pressure so that its excess ink passes to the transfer roller and is thus removed by the scraper 40.

The pressure of the scraper blade 4B against the transfer roller depends on the downward manual pressure of the operator on the handle 35, the operator adapting this pressure to requirements. These requirements vary with the viscosity of the ink and the amount of accumulation on the rollers, but a little experience helps the operator to determine readily the desired pressure to apply to the wiper blade.

The scraping device is only used from time to time in the operation of the machine and is normally entirely removed, but whenever desired it may be quickly put in position and operated without interfering in any way with the operation of the machine. The device is simple in construction and light in weight and easily moved from place to place, The lnk removed may be allowed to remain in the trough and become comparatively dry therein, being removed therefrom from time to time by the use of usual ink solvent or merely washing.

I claim:

1. A cleaning device comprising a frame having an upstanding front plate, a pair of end bars connected therewith, cross member connected with the end bars, each end bar having in it a notch open at the top extending downwardly and thence along the bar and thence upwardly, whereb-y the 'bar provides a tongue extending downwardly into the notch, and a scraper blade carried by the front plate of the device.

2. A roll-cleaning device, comprising a frame, a wiper blade carried thereby in such position that the wiper blade may be caused to engage an inking roll to be cleaned, and means carried by the frame and adapted to act upon an adjacent ductor roll and hold said ductor roll in contact with the roll being cleaned while the blade n engages the last mentioned roll.

3. A combination of a printing machine having a movable ductor roll, an ink receiving roll, a frame carrying the ductor roll and adapted to be moved to contact the ductor roll to the receiving roll, and a removable cleaning device having a wiper blade adapted to contact with the receiving roll and having means adapted to act on the ductor roll frame to maintain it in contactwith said receiving roll.

4. A removable cleaning device for an ink roll of a printing machine, comprising a frame. means for pivotally mounting the same on a printing machine, a wiper blade carried by the frame adapted to be caused by movement of the frame to coact with an ink roll of the printing machine and a member on the frame adapted to hold a movable ductor roll in contact With the roll being cleaned.

5. A combination of a printing machine having a movable ductor roll, an ink receiving roll, a frame carrying the ductor roll and adapted to be moved to contact the ductor roll to the receiving roll, and a removable cleaning device comprising a frame, means for pivotally mounting the same on the printing machine, a wiper blade carried by the cleaner framer adapted to be caused by swinging movement of such frame to coact with the ink-receiving roll of the printing machine, and a spring-controlled member on the cleaner frame adapted to bear against the movable ductor roll frame and thereby hold the ductor roll in contact with the roll being cleaned.

6. The combination of a printing machine having an ink receiving roll, a fountain roll, a movable ductor roll, movable between the fountain roll and the receiving roll, a removable cleaning device having a frame carrying at the inner end a scraper blade and at the outer end an operating handle, means for intermediately pivoting theframe in a definite position on the printing machine frame, whereby movement of the handle may move the scraper blade into contact with the receiving roll, a movable abutment on the frame of the cleaning device adapted to coact with the member carrying the ductor roll, and a spring acting on said abutment to cause it to bear with the spring pressure against the doctor carrier to hold the ductor roll in contact with the receiving roll while the blade contacts with the receiving roll.

7. The combination, with the printing machine having a fountain roll, an ink receiving roll and a ductor roll movable between the fountain roll and ink receiving roll carried by a pivotally mounted frame of a removable cleaning device, comprising an ink receiving trough having an upstanding front plate, a wiper blade removably carried on the front plate, a pair of spaced bars secured to the ends of the trough and cross-connected some distance back of the trough, a handle secured to the cross-connecting portion, each of said end bars having a notch open at the top and extending lengthwise beneath a portion of the bar and then upwardly, whereby the bar has a downward projecting tongue adapted to overhang a portion of the printing machine frame to enable the device to be intermediately pivoted on the printing machine, and a cam-lever pivoted to one of the end bars adapted to act on the ductor-carrying frame, and a spring acting on the cam-lever to force it toward the ductor-carrying frame.

8. The combination with a printing machine of a removable cleaning device for an ink roll, comprising a frame carrying a wiper blade adjacent one end and a projecting handle adjacent the middle of the other end, and means on the frame to enable it to engage at will a fixed rod on the printing machine for establishing an intermediately located pivotal connection between said device and the frame of the printing machine, with the wiper'blade in position to engage the ink roll when the handle swings the device on its pivot.

9. A cleaning device for an ink roll, comprising a frame carrying a wiper blade and having a pair of spaced end bars, each bar being provided with an underhanging notch open at the top, whereby when the device is held beneath supporting portions on a printing machine and pushed upwardly and horizontally said end bars may overhang the said supporting portions and pivot the device thereon.

10. A cleaning device for an ink roll, comprising a frame carrying a wiper blade at the inner end and having a pair of spaced outwardly extending end bars, each bar being provided with y a notch extending from the top edge downwardly and longitudinally to leave an overhanging tongue for automatically pivoting the bar to a cross rod of a printing machine across which the device has been moved. and a handle at the outer end of the device adapted to depress that end and thereby raise the blade at the other end into engagement with an inking roller.

11. A self-contained removable cleaning device for a printing machine, comprising a frame having a front plate, a pair of end bars connected by a cross bar, a handle carried by the cross bar adjacent its mid region, a yielding scraper blade, a clamping device therefor coacting with the front plate, and means on the end bars of the device for pivoting the device removably on the frame of a printing machine.

12. The combination with a printing roller of a train of inking rollers, one of which coacts with the printing roller, a bodily shiftable ductor roller adapted to feed i-nk to said train, a wiping device adapted to coact with one of the inking rollers of the train, and means associated with the wiping device for automatically maintaining the ductor roller in contact with the train when the wiping blade is contacting with said train.

FRANKLIN E. CURTIS. 

